Paradox
by Shadowrayne
Summary: Sequel to Lifeblood::2 of 3 The child of Raziel is thrown deep into Nosgoth and her parent's past. When every move she makes endangers her existance, how can she turn down a loner who makes her doubt she cares?
1. Default Chapter

Hey! It's me again! I said I'd have a Sequel to Lifeblood! And here it is!  
  
Paradox  
  
Prolouge  
  
I suppose I am the last of two clans...Impossible you say? If I were any other vampire it would've been. However, I was the child that was not supposed to exist. My parents were Kyria and Raziel of Nosgoth. My name is Nya. From what my mother has told me, I was concieved the night before Raziel was damned. Because of Kain's decisions, Nosgoth has given way to a new age. That, however, is a whole different tale...  
  
My story begins somewhere outside of the ruins of a place called the Academy. My mother had spent most of her mortal life there. I inherited some of my mother's shapeshifting ability, allowing me to become human at whim. The first real memory I have that is of great significance occured as my mother was staring out at these very ruins, where I sit, recording this in a tattered old diary that I found in an old temple. The cover, which has the title DARK CHRONICLE is very small and has the tale of an "Angel of Death." Most of the writing is illegible so I was never able to read most of it. Anyway, back to my mother...  
  
~FLASHBACK~  
  
"I think they're gone." mother said to me. I was about seven in age at that time. I could've cared less what the Sarafan were doing. All I knew was that we were hiding from two things:  
  
1) The Sarafan  
  
and  
  
2) "That bastard Kain" as my mother called him.  
  
Apparently, if this Kain ever found us, we'd be slaughtered.  
  
Without my mom's knowledge, I snuck into towns during the day, making myself appear human. Except for the eyes. The iris of both eyes were split into streaks. My left was cerulean and a feral gold, while the other was green and gold. I quickly befriended a young girl named Lera. We became tighter than blood. One evening we were going to swipe some stuff from the weapon shop when I watched my own mother, tear open Lera, my best friend's, throat.  
  
Time passed and I accepted what I was and became a ruthless killer. Until that fateful night where I met the scourge that sent my world careening to a new type of hell...  
  
I spotted a spindly looking man in strange clothing. As I prepared to kill the lone fool, I spoke.  
  
"Hello Nya. Yes, I know you're there." he said as I froze in my tracks. "I am Moebius, the Time Streamer" he introduced himself as he turned to me.  
  
"How did you know I was there?" I snarled. He laughed that of one who was used to being asked questions that only he knew the answer to.  
  
"I not only know where you are, I know where you were, and where you will be." he laughed.  
  
"Enough with your riddles old man." I bared my fangs.  
  
"I know your destiny."  
  
"I don't care." I told him as I charged. I already could tell the world would be better if he was NOT in it. However, instead of the heavenly, sinful bloodlust that comes only with the taste of fresh blood upon your lips, I was surrounded by a swirling infinity.   
  
Falling, endless falling...Suddenly, I was dropped to the ground. Around me was a place like none I had ever seen. Gory corpses lay, unburied, all over the place. The body of a monster was a few feet away from where I stood. It's spinal cord had been sliced. It also appeared that some kind of animal had torn into it's throat and ripped it's eyes open, exposing oozing brain tissue. All around were the bodies of both human and vampires alike. A place that I recognised from my mother's stories was looming over me like an ominous shadow. The Sarafan Stronghold. Thsi was NOT where I wanted to be. I followed the scent of vampiric blood to a huge church, several miles away from where I had entered this strange place.  
  
I slowly pushed open the huge doors. I walked into the pitch black. My movenment ceased as I felt the cold steel of a well-crafted sword tip on my vugular vien.  
  
HOPE YOU LIKED IT!  
  
Anyway, review and I'll post faster. Oh, and a cookie to who can guess where the damn time streamer sent her! 


	2. Chapter 2: Family Reunion

Heh...  
  
Erm...I'm back...  
  
And I have ONE thing to say...  
  
JACOB YOU IDIOT! I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS! ONE SECOND THOUGHT! I'LL JUST TAKE BACK YOUR X-MAS GIFT (I know it's June but just DO NOT ask.)! YOU SHOULD'VE JUST STATED WHO YOU WERE! I ONCE GOT SOMTHING VERY SIMILAR TO THAT FROM SOME DAFT PERSON WHO CALLED HIM/HERSELF EVIL FOR SAIRYS' SAKE! YOU FOOL!  
  
*heavy panting* Sorry, had to get that out of my system. And in case you were wondering...Jacob and I are friends outside of fanfiction and he gets yelled at like this (only in more colorful language ^_^) all the time. The idiot has somehow learned to shrug it off...  
  
Anyway, the other review responses....  
  
Shady Foxfire: It will take me forever to get used to typing that Rose...Anyway, is the Johnny your cousin Johnny or someone I don't know?  
  
Oh, and by the way, you left that book I gave you, Soul Reaver, that gecko beadie thing and those pants that I wanted ya to give to your niece over my house. Thanks...*blushes at the complement cuz when Rose says she loved it, ya know it's good* Anyway, still haven't figgured out what Raz says to Jim when he gets to the McDonalds...not that you would care...*cough* bathroom *cough* Kain *cough* LOL!  
  
Tom T. Thomson: Erm..hi...don't think I've seen you around before...Thanks and there will be more like...after this review response and perhaps a bit more rambling...  
  
PREFALLEN RAZIEL (WHO IS CHAINED TO MY CLOSET DOOR) HAS MADE A SNACK OUT OF MY 8 YEAR OLD SISTER! HOW AM I GONNA EXPLAIN THIS TO MOM?!?!?!?!?!?!?! HELP! ANYONE GOT A SWAT TEAM????? Also, I CANNOT GET TO MELCHIAH'S THRONE ROOM IN SR1! HELP!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Family Reunion  
  
"Who are you?" a snakelike voice hissed at me from somewhere behind the sword hilt. I was frantic!  
  
"My name is Nya..." I said, hoping not to have my throat torn out.  
  
"Why have you come here, mortal?"   
  
"MORTAL?!" I was not mortal in any way, shape, or form! Where did this person come to the conclusion that I was MORTAL?!  
  
"You reek of humans." came the explaination behind this offensive assumption.  
  
"I am a vampire for your information and I got lost and wandered here. Now kindly remove that rather large bit of steel from my throat if you know what's good for you." I snarled, not bothering to hide my fury at behind mistaken for a human swine. My clawed hands hovered over my sword hilt as a deeper voice chuckled. Just how many people were in here anyway?!  
  
"Lay off Turel. Is that any way to treat a lady?" the voice taunted. Why did that name sound so blasted familiar?  
  
"Shut up brother. She's mine." 'Turel' said.  
  
"Don't be so sure of yourself." the other voice hissed. Suddenly several torches were lit, exposing my surroundings to be far more beautiful than anything I had ever seen. (For more info, see Soul Reaver once I reveal where she is because I currently am having some serious trouble finding Melchiah and you don't visit here until later in the game) I felt as though I had seen this place before...like...in a dream... My attention was snapped away from the exquisite architecture back to my current company. I was surrounded by robust looking men with raven black hair (rather like mine), three clawed hand, and taloned feet (again, like mine). They were obviously lieutenants from what my mom had told me because they all had a different sybol hanging over thier right shoulder. The one with the sword, Turel, had a green symbol and had elf-like ears, nearly hidden by waist length hair which was tied back in a loose ponytail.  
  
That was when it hit me. I hadn't been here before. This place, the Sanctuary of the Clans, had been described with such detail by my mother, that I often dreamed of being in this very room. But...if my 'uncle' Turel was here...my father had to be close by...  
  
My eyes fell to a girl who appeared to be my age who was curled up in a corner, asleep.  
  
I am lazy tonight. I will finish this later. I hope ya liked this poor excuse for a chapter...the like...two minutes of Nya's life that it covered. Anyway, COOKIES TO ANYONE WHO REVIEWS AND/OR CAN TELL ME WHO THE DEEP VOICE THAT WAS YELLING AT TUREL WAS! 


	3. Chapter 3: Outsider

Paradox  
  
Chapter 3  
  
The girl had raven black hair and a slender build. She looked oddly familiar to me. All of the sudden the, the girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing one of them to be blue and the other violet.  
  
"Mm? Raziel?" she asked in a soft, musical voice.  
  
"Nice to see you're finally awake." the man in the red tabard chuckled.  
  
"I didn't see you up there tearing through layers of neckflesh. All you did was throw a sword! Big whoop!" she snapped.  
  
"Kyria, in case you didn't notice, I was busy trying to keep him from swatting you like a fly." Raziel said.  
  
Kyria? My mother? This was too much. The world began to spin as I noticed that the floor was approaching at an alarming rate. I had fainted.  
  
I was awoken by a sharp kick to the side. I glared up at my father and bared my fangs at him. He only laughed.   
  
"Fiesty little wench, aren't you?"  
  
"You have no idea..." I snarled. He looked amused. He was starting to piss me off...  
  
The girl stood up, casting a shadow over her face with the layers of Black hair, so like my own. I saw the one mar that held a pang of truth to who she was. Over her right eye was a large jagged scar. It looked more red than my own mother's, probably because in this time, it was fresher, but it was there, casting it's own little valley into the alabaster flesh. We circled each other without realizing it at first. The similarities were too much. The haunted, starved look that had made my mom look so much older was not present in this gothic princess.   
  
"And what have we here?" a much more commanding voice sounded in the hall. I whirled around to see an amazingly...green man with silver hair, watching our little "introduction" from high atop a throne. In one of his red, tri-clawed hands, he held the most beautiful weapon I had ever seen. The blade was twisted and curved, making it more for swinging than impalation. The hilt bore what looked like a single vampiric skull. Everyone else in the room fell to one knee in fornt of this man. It could only be Kain...the fear and plauge I had known all my life, but had never seen.   
  
"Another outsider, my lord." Raziel said to the tyrant.  
  
"Outsider?!" I cried, outraged. I stopped short of the other retort that I was going to make. There was no other way that I would be able to find my way home if Kain knew who I really was. I would have to play along.  
  
"And who will vouch for her? I can tell by the look of her that she would be good on the battlefield." Kain stated mildly. Zephon stood, but Raziel cut him off.  
  
"Perhaps she knows the other one. He currently resides on my clanlands. I will vouch." He said, earning a furious look from Zephon.  
  
"By My Lord, our Clan lost many in the battle-" the spider began.  
  
"That YOU started without my consent. Believe me, Zephon, we all know the state that this girl would be in after a single night in your Cathedral. Both her spirit and body would be broken beyond compare." Kain roared. I strongly disliked the fact that they were discussing me like I was not there. But the talk of this other outsider intrigued me.  
  
"My Lord, if my opinion counts for anything, I would very much like to meet this other outsider..." I said, much more bravely than i felt.  
  
"Indeed. Raziel." Kain said dismissively. Raziel beckoned Kyria, who started toward the door behind him. I was smartly pushed forward by my mother and out the door.  
  
"Some things never change..." I muttered.  
  
Yes, that sucked. Please review though. I got off my lazy ass to type this! That's gotta count for something! 


	4. Chapter 4: Harthos

Author's Ramblings:  
  
Hey guys! Been a long time! 'Sup? Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Haven't been on much because of school. I'll try to keep up on my stories from now on. I promise! ^-^;;  
  
And Dee, I'm using a few characters in this chap okay?  
  
I FIXED IT! Thanks for the heads up and the perspective switching Dee!  
  
Paradox  
  
Chapter 4  
  
I was in the past. I knew that now. I also knew the consequences of my presence here. My every move here would create an outward ripple, altering time and quite possibly, my very existence. Raziel led me to a huge castle to the west of the abyss where he would later be damned. The stronghold itself took my breath away.  
  
Huge parapets lined the walls of the castle. The business of the place seemed to hit her before she could make out the many vampires surging around the grounds, an immovable tide as old as time. The place seemed to have a life of it's own. Fistfights went on in the messhall and the combat arenas. The place seemed to be orderly and chaotic at the same time.  
  
A young man came up, bearing the claws and talons of vampiric maturity and saluted Raziel.  
  
"Sire, the Western tithe villages brought their recruits today. They await your inspection." He said in an official voice. He had ebony colored hair, a well built form and a cruel looking sword at his side. There was a tattooed scar down his right arm, marking him as Raziel's firstborn.  
  
"I'll see to them now. Sorin, kindly take this girl to the outsider. She'll room with him."  
  
"Very well, milord." Sorin said with a bow as Raziel left them. "So, who are you and what tithe are you from?" he demanded. I vaguely remembered that the only femeles who were respected stood up for themselves.  
  
"Drop your superior tone. I'm not from a tithe. My name is Nya, if you're really interested." I snapped. Sorin seemed taken aback at my adacity. "Who is this 'Outsider' everone keeps talking about?"  
  
"His name is Harthos. No one knows where he came from. I suppose the same can be said for you." He said, tone now as if he were speaking to an equal.  
  
"I suppose." I said, voice not giving away anything.  
  
"We can go get your uniform and other things if you wish. You don't seem to have anything with you."  
  
"That'd be nice. All I have are the clothes on my back." Sorin grinned softly at this as we rounded a corner. We reached a counter on which an older looking vampire was sleeping. Sorin banged his clawed hand on the counter, startling the other vampire awake.  
  
"Gurt, I thought you weren't going to sleep on the job anymore! The tithe recruits are here today! Don't let Lord Raziel catch you!" Sorin said to the man.  
  
"Sorry, sir. Won't habben agen..." his head fell to the counter with a long snore. Sorin whistled high, loud and long into his ear, causing him to yelp and clap his hands over his ears.  
  
"I'M AWAKE!" he yelled at Sorin.  
  
"Sure didn't look it. We've got a newb here. She needs everything."  
  
"I thought Lord Raziel just got back! He shouldn't have had time to turn them yet, let alone for them to wake up!" Gurt exclaimed.  
  
"She's an outsider. Wandered right into the sactuary apparantly, because Lord Raziel brought her back from the meeting."  
  
"Wow. Here." Gurt handed over a large bundle. Sorin dumped it into my arms.  
  
"You stay awake now, ya hear!" Sorin yelled over his shoulder as we walked away.  
  
"Will do!"  
  
We rounded another corner. This brought us down a large hall that seemed to have an endless number of doors.  
  
Vampires came out from time to time looking sleepily around through sleep shaded eyes. I gathered that this was the Residencey wing, where everyone lived. A few who were more awake made jeers and catcalls as I passed. I ignored them until one of them had the gall to pinch me in a rather rude area. He found himself staring down a sword as I glared up at him, wishing once again that I were taller than my 5foot 6inch frame. The catcalls promptly stopped as he slowly backed away, my sword following him until his back was against a wall. Sorin made a move to stop me. My second sword sprung into my other fist and was pointed at his gut.  
  
"Back off." I snarled at him. I turned back to the groper. "That was rude." I growled softly. His golden eyes showed more than a little fear.  
  
"I- I'm s-sorry!" he stammered. I returned both swords to their sheaths and took my place at Sorin's side once again. The firstborn nodded approvingly. We approached another hall. At the end of this, Sorin suddenly stopped. He rapped sharply on the door with his claws. After a few moments the door slowly creaked open to reveal a shockingly handsome man whoa ppeared to be about my age, though with vampires, you can never tell. His eyes were a glittering green, surrounded by brown hair with black tips that tickled his earlobes. He was clad only in a pair of leather pants which added to the effect that he had just woken up.  
  
"Whaddyou want Sorin?" he mumbled sleepily in a deep, gravelly voice. Sorin smiled at him.  
  
"Lord Raziel wants her to room with you. She's apparantly another outsider." He said, pushing me forward. For some strange reason my breath caught in my chest and I seemed stiff.  
  
"Hey there, I'm Harthos." He said, extending a hand in my direction. I regained control of my self and took it.  
  
"Nya." I answered, nodding at him.  
  
"Change into your uniform and Harthos'll show you around." Sorin said, turning to leave.  
  
"Thanks Sorin." I waved. He turned and waved back. Harthos stepped aside and let me in.  
  
The room had two beds on opposite sides of the room, one dresser, two bedside table next to the beds, a dressing screem and a wardrobe. Harthos pointed to one of the bed.   
  
"That's yours. You can change behind that if you want, I don't care either way. Those three drawers are yours. The wardrobe is public space as far as I'm concerned." Harthos indicated as he crawled back into bed. I nodded and he turned to the heavily curtained window. I examined the bundle Sorin had gotten me. Inside was a pair of steel toed leather boots, two pairs of leather pants, two matching tops with no sleeves and looked as if it wouldn't cover my stomach. There was also a traditional Razielim clan tabard that all the officers wore. I slipped into a pair of the pants and one of the tops and crawled into bed, exhausted. I vaugely remeber taking off my swordbelt before I fell asleep.  
  
Well, that's it for this chap. Hope you liked it. REVIEW!  
  
~Shadowrayne~ 


	5. Chapter 5: Preparation for Battle

Hey it's me agian! I'm a bit light-headed tonight ((Literally, my hair now comes to my chin whereas before it was past my ass)) and listening to my goth rock. Bad combo. So, please forgive me if this chapter Royally bites.  
  
Paradox   
  
Chapter 5  
  
I awoke to the sound of Harthos hurriedly dressing not two feet from my head. I rolled over with a sleepy groan. It was midday! Where in the hell was HE going?  
  
"Mm? What's going on? Why're you up at this horrendus hour? No, scratch that. Why are you getting ME up at this hour?" I grunted sleepily. Harthos looked over at me, laughter in those illegally beatiful acid colored eyes.  
  
"You snore. Did you know that?" he laughed. "The Sarafan are trying to catch us offguard. There's a huge party of them a few miles off. Catch." Harthos tossed me a sword that I quickly recognised as one of my own as I sat up.  
  
"I do NOT snore." I protested, slipping on the clan tabard that was a part of the uniform. Harthos just looked at me and started cracking up. I threw my travelling cloak at his head as I rummaged through the wardrobe, trying to remember where I had put my other sword before my collapse into the blessed oblivion of sleep.  
  
"Looking for this?" Harthos chuckled. I looked over at him to find my other sword in his grip, testing it's balance. "Fine blades. Both of them. You DO realize that they aren't a set, right?" he asked, eye scanning my form as I strapped the first sword around my waist.  
  
"Of course. My mother gave that one to me. I stole this one ages ago from the Raven Armory." I told him, testing the buckle to the sword belt.  
  
"Before or after you were turned?"   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Did you steal the Raven before or after you were turned?"  
  
"I...I uh... I WASN'T turned." I admitted, putting on the boots.  
  
"What do you mean? Vampires are barren. It's impossible, what you're proposing." Harthos said, suspicious of me.  
  
"My mother wasn't, I guess. I don't know how, but here I am." I shrugged. Reaching for my other sword, Harthos leapt to his feet, holding the sword about three feet above my head, out of reach, once again making me regret my unfortunate hieght. "Give it here!" I growled.  
  
"And why would I do that? Why do you need two anyway?" Harthos asked, tossing the sword up and down and catching it as I jumped up to grab it.  
  
"Because! I just do! It's how I learned. I know how to fight with one, but if we're going into battle I want both! NOW GIVE IT UP!" I roared, springing up as I warped my legs so that I could jump even higher. I caught the sword. While it was in Harthos' hands. I hung there for a bit before he finally let me down with the blade.  
  
"You've got spunk. I like that." Harthos looked at me, an all too familiar look in his eye. It was the one that the other vampires had thought I was for when they saw a female in their midst. I felt myself bluch uncontrollably.  
  
"I'm not a plaything." I snarled at him. "I'm a warrior. Now you'll banish any and all of those thoughts from that sinfully handsome head of yours before I destroy your looks." Harthos appeared hurt and I realized my error. The look in his eyes (the other's had a similar glimmer, but not the same) that I had taken for lust was in fact acceptence. I had seen it only once before. In the friend that my mother had robbed me of. "I'm sorry, I just haven't had any friends since I was little, so I'm not used to compliments." I muttered at his back, feeling like an ass.  
  
"It's alright. I know the feeling. But if we're sharing this room, we need to get along at least as friends. I'm not like the others, who will view you as a sex object and nothing more. Just remember that." Harthos said quietly as he left the room. After I had strapped the other sword on, I followed his path to the pillars, where the Sarafan were headed.  
  
I was going into battle.  
  
Well, I gotta go. Next Chapter soon! REVIEW! 


	6. Chapter 6: Lambs to the Slaughter

Thanks for the ENORMOUS amount of reviews on the last chapter. I got a walloping ZERO FRICKING REVIEWS! *Runs off to cry somewhere* Here's the next damn chapter, IF anyone cares....  
  
WARNING EXTREME GORE AND VIOLENCE   
  
Paradox  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Lambs to the Slaughter  
  
The Razielim clan fell into rank behind their lord as I followed Harthos, having no idea as to where to position myself. As far as I could see, I was the only female besides my own mother in the ranks. None of the other warriors paid me a second's notice, save for Sorin and Raziel, who winked or glared at me. You could feel the tension as the older, more powerful of the clan assembled in the courtyard in front of the Sanctuary of the Clans. There were no fledges, their weakness to the sun making them more a liability than a help.   
  
The Sarafan war cry echoed throughout the hills as the first ranks of the swine let themselves be seen as they charged, swords glittering in the noonday sun. The Lords gave the signal to attack andthe hordes of undead warriors laid into human flesh. I felt my heart pounding in my ears, the only on to do so among the Clans. I ripped my blades from the sheaths and held them both in a dagger-like fashion as I twirled the large blades in my clawed hands. As the first Sarafan warrior made his way to me I tore into his throat with no regard for his sword as I feasted on his flesh. He stared at me blankly as his body fell to the ground. I threw myself into the battle, forgetting everything except the ever-growing heady smell of blood and fear in the air.   
  
I vaugely noticed that the attacks had ceased on ly right side and that Harthos was there, following me through the mud, mixed with blood, not water. I watched as one of my many opponents fell before me as Kain was attacked by no less than 20 Sarafan warriors. He got through about ten of them before the blow fell that shattered his spinal cord , causing him to fall to his knees. By some instinct, I rammed my swords into the corpse of my fallen foe and charged forward. I dropped into a baseball slide, taking out the knees of one of Kain's assailants. I siezed the Soul Reaver and instantly felt a power surge run through my exhausted form. I was caught in an inferno of heat as I heard the slow beating of each human heart on the battle field. I could feel the heat from each body on the field, even the fading corpses. Time seemed to have slowed so that even Raziel's rapid movements were sluggish.  
  
I swung the legendary blade upward and freed the vicera from my nearest opponents body. On the backswing I caught two of the others. The remaining few fell quickly to my newfound might. Once we were safe temporarily, I turned to see Kain staring at me in astonishment. I rolled him onto his stomach so that I could see that his would was almost healed. Flipping him back over, I placed the Reaver back into his comatose claw and stooped to pick up the sword of one of the dead Sarafan.  
  
The battle was quickly over as the Sarafan called a sloppy retreat. The Lords set some of their charges to drag the corpses back to their respective clanlands. I headed over to the body that I had left my faithful swords as I examined this new blade that I had acquired. The hilt was fashioned into a dragon's head. The craftsmanship of this was equivalent to my own, black blade. The two shared the same design, this however seemed to be reinforced ivory. I pulled my steel sword from the body first, sheathing it. But when I touched the hilt of the ebony sword, the twin baldes began humming. I let go in shock, which promptly stopped the humming. I seized the hilt once more and jammed it into it's sheath. I charged back toward the corpse that I had wrested this extraordinarly blade that seemed to be a match to my own and snatched the hilt, I noticed that Kyria was clutching two Sarafan corpses and sobbing hard.  
  
I tenatively walked over to her and saw the faces of both a male and a female warrior. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder and winced as she turned to face me because of the bloody trails down her face. She seemed to be whispering to herself over and over.  
  
"Naomi.....Zepher..... I still owed you that dance Zeph, cmon, wake up guys!" She sobbed, looking once again at the pair.  
  
"Come on, Mom, We need to get back..." I murmured. Her head snapped up at me,   
  
"What did you call me?" she demended.  
  
"Uh, sorry. Bad habit. But we DO need to get back." I bit my tongue. I had almost revealed everything to her. She bared her fangs at me. I felt a hand grasp my own and looked back at Harthos.   
  
"Leave her." he said softly. I bowed my head and followed him.  
  
As we passed the pillars on our way back, I saw Kain there. One look at his face as our eyes met told me that by saving his life, I had made a dire mistake. He wouldn't appreciate oweing me a life. I would pay. I shuddered softly and caught up to Harthos, who looked at me with astonishment as I collapsed from a would I was unaware I had sustained.  
  
I woke a few hours later as Harthos struggled in. I sat up and saw why he had made so much noise. He was carrying two struggling humans.  
  
"Here," he handed one of them to me. I looked at him gratefully and tore into the quivering flesh. Our meal finished, I sat up and found myself bandaged around the stomach.  
  
"Your blood. It's warm. And your heart beats. Why?" Harthos asked. I looked down.  
  
"I have no idea. Thanks for....back there. I take it you did the bandage?" I asked. He responded with a nod.  
  
"Nice tricks, with the swords I mean."  
  
"Thanks. So, what's it like? To have a still heart?"   
  
"I wouldn't know. I'm like you. My mother was raped by a vampire back when there were vampires other than Kain's dynasty. For some reason, I exist." he admitted, locking eyes with me and making the blood surge through my veins. Why did he affect me like this?  
  
I was snapped out of my reverie when a knock on the door snapped both of our heads to it. I got up and opened the door as Sorin stepped in.  
  
"Good to see you're okay. What happend? You didn't take any hits out there. You're untouchable. So where'd the slice come from?" he asked me.   
  
"Dunno. What're you here for?" I asked as I sat back down on the bed.  
  
"I just wanted to check on you. Lady Kyria seemed quite distressed. I wonder why she was so upset at the deaths of those two humans?" Sorin wondered aloud.  
  
"They were her friends from school." Sorin shot a look at me.  
  
"How do you know that?" he demanded. Harthos looked at me. Then he turned to Sorin.  
  
"She needs to feed, she's delerious." he stated.  
  
"I see. Then I'll go." Sorin left.  
  
Harthos looked at me curiously.  
  
"I think I will go feed...." I stalked out of the room, aware of my roomate's eyes boring holes in my back.  
  
I think it was the forest outside of Meridian where I found him. Or rather, he found me.  
  
Kain looked at me and vanished. I shook his presence off and hid my three swords. I put on the shapeless smok I had brought with me, it was ripped with my claws, sliced specifically for this purpose. I put it on over my uniform and ruffled my hair and put on a frightened look. I tore out of the brush screaming like a banshee.  
  
My meal was made.  
  
Welp, that was the chapter. Nice and long. NOW MAYBE YOU'LL REVIEW! 


	7. Chapter 7: Wounds

W00t! I'm back! So...whazzup? I'm grounded, so don't bother with MSN Messenger if ya wanna talk. Just use email. Finally I have a chance to update! I GET A FIVE DAY WEEKEND!   
  
Nocturnally-damned (Dee) : Thanks for your support throughout the series so far. Your are almost literally my only reviewer.  
  
Grizzums: Thanks. But why would I be afraid of a vegetarian werewolf?  
  
Paradox  
  
Chapter 7  
  
I collided with a sarafan gaurd who looked down at me in shock. I panted heavily and began sobbing into his tunic.  
  
"What happened Miss?" he asked, prying me off of him.  
  
"Vampires! In the woods!" I gasped. My charade was working if the look on the man's face was anything to judge by.  
  
"Were you bitten?" He demanded, hand on sword his as he eyed the shadows.  
  
I shook my head. No. I had never been bitten.  
  
He sent several of the guards into the woods and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, murmuring words of comfort as I portrayed the innocent little lamb who was attacked. He walked me to the town inn and payed for my room and board for the night. He gave me his name, Skyfire, and left me under the care of the innkeeper's son. The boy was a bit too grabby for his own good. As he attempted to lure me into his bed, as he so obviously had with so many others, I sank my fangs into his throat, caressing his mind into silent submission as I left him drained near dry. I stuck him into the bed, to maintain my humanity in the eyes of the humans so that I could hunt here again. Skyfire would let me in. The next morning, I left the gates of the town, assuring the kind guard that I was fine and able to journey home. I found my swords untouched and headed back to the Razielim fortress. When I reached my room, I poked my head in to see if my roomate was sleeping.  
  
Harthos was sitting on the edge of his bed, in the dark, catlike eyes luminescent (spelling?).  
  
"Where were you?" he demanded.  
  
"Hello to you too." came my sharp reply. What had crawled up his butt and died?  
  
"Where were you?" he asked again, an edge on his voice this time.  
  
"Hunting. Why do you care?"   
  
"How did you know about the humans?" Harthos was avoiding the question.  
  
"I just do. I'll ask one more time: Why do you care?"  
  
"I just do." Harthos was patronizing me. He was trying to get a rise. But why did he care where I was? I threw my belongings back into their respective drawers and headed down to the mess hall. The other fledges were drinking ale by the barrel. Some of their antics were just plain hilarious. One fledge got up and did an all-belch rendition of "You are my sunshine."  
  
Another got his tongue stuck in between the prongs of a fork. The result was cause for a lot of creative swearing as the fledge master cut off his tongue.  
  
"Is that even possible to do?" One of them asked me in response to one of the fork tongue's suggestions.  
  
"Not all at once. But singly, yes, every one of those is in fact possible." I replied, nodding sagely.  
  
"And how would you know that?" The all too familiar voice of my roomate said into my ear.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased, turning to face him. Sorin hailed me over to one of the tables. I sat down beside him as he voiced his reason for calling me.  
  
"We'd like you to slove a little dispute." he said, glaring at a younger fledge, who had a scantly dressed female hanging all over him, making her desires all too clear to him.  
  
"I'm game." I wrinkled my nose in disgust at the girl's lack of decency.  
  
"Well, Thorn here seems to think that if a demon and a vampire got in a fight that the demon would win. I beg to differ."  
  
"It all depends. Is the vampire armed? How old is he? What kind of demon?"  
  
"No, 500, fire." They both chorused.  
  
"Vampire." I stated with finality.  
  
"THAT"S NOT TRUE!" Thorn was obviously pissed.  
  
"A vampire at age 500 usually has the power over fire. The demon would be almost helpless. How do you think that Kain's early emire was able to keep the fire demons under control?"  
  
Thorn swung at me. I dodged as a bone rending pain shot through my side. That slice should have healed by now. My stomach was quickly soaked with blood. I staggered into the hallway, trying to get back to my room. I didn't make it. I sagged against the wall, wheezing and clutching my side as I bled. Why hadn't it healed? What was wrong? I slid down as Harthos bolted down the hall. 'Has he got a homing device or something?' I thought angrily. He dropped to his knees beside me and looked at the gash, which was still bleeding sluggishly.  
  
Raziel walked down the hall. He eyed me and turned to Harthos.  
  
"What happened?" He demanded icily.  
  
"We don't know. This should have healed by now. She got it yesterday on the battlefield." Harthos inclined his head in respect.  
  
"Well get her cleaned up. Kain wants to see her." Raziel turned briskly on his heel and stalked off. My blood ran cold. Kain? What did he was with me?  
  
Harthos picked me up, an arm behind my knees and the other supporting my back. I felt myself losing conciousness.  
  
"Oh no you don't. You skimp on this meeting with Kain, You're reaver fodder." Harthos bit his own wrist and offerred it to me. I was delierious and took it. I felt myself nearly swamped with strength. His heart did indeed beat. His blood was warm. I quickly cleaned and bandaged myself. I was still a bit unsteady on my feet as I put on my swords. Harthos steadied me and helped my tie them on.  
  
"You can't get there on your own. A Sarafan intiate could kill you in this state. I'm coming with you."  
  
We were on our way.  
  
MWAHAHAHAHAHA! 


	8. Chapter 8: Sanctuary

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I'm an ass. My mom is pregnant. How's that for a headache? 

Chapter 8

Sanctuary

Harthos and I made the journey quite quickly considering the state I was in. We stepped up to the Sanctuary of the Clans and as I was about to open the door, Harthos grabbed my wrist.

"Come here." Harthos pulled me toward him and tightened the bandaging around the wound which was across my stomach.

"Thank you," I replied softly, avoiding his toxic gaze. "You don't have to come in with me, you know that, right?"

"You can hardly stand. I'm coming with you." He could tell I wasn't convinced. Harthos took my chin in his claws and made me look at him. "I want to."

I nodded and pushed the doors open, leaning heavily on Harthos, more than I needed to, just in case this wasn't the friendly meeting I wasn't expecting. Stepping forward, I looked at Kain's throne. He had the Reaver gripped in one claw and was staring at the legedary blade inently, as if searching for some taint I had left on it. I cleared my throat rather loudly and his head snapped up, eyes annoyed that his staring contest had been interrupted. His eyes bored into mine for a moment until he finally spoke.

"Interesting wounds. Where did you come by them?"

"I have no idea. I wasn't touched. I was hoping you could explain them." I told him, refusing to back down. He threw the Reaver at my feet.

"It inflicted the wound you caused upon your own flesh. It's the only possible expaination. Now, I'm going to ask this once. Who are you?"

I was scared. For the first time in my life, I was honestly and truely afraid. My body began to rebel. My entire form began quivering and Harthos was now the only thing holding me up. Harthos looked at me in concern. Bless him, he thought it was from blood loss.

"I am Nya. I have no clan." I decided that he could probably tell if I was lying, so I left out gaping bits of information. Kain sighed and spoke.

"Leave. You obviously aren't the one the prophecy spoke of." My ears perked up.

"Prophecy?" Harthos had beaten me to the punch. Kain looked at him.

"Yes. Long ago I was told of a young, female vampire who was the product of two vampires. One of whom was to be a traitor to me....."

I swallowed hard and bowed to Kain, trying my hardest to get out of there before Kain called my bluff. I turned and Harthos and I walked out of the gargantuan cathedral unscathed.

When we got back to the keep, Harthos took me straight to our room and rebandaged me. Looking at me sternly, he pointed a finger in my face and laughed as I tried to bite it off.

"Sleep. That's an order." He shook the finger and I attempted to detatch it again. I smiled up at him, thouroughly amused.

"Are you going to make me?" I teased.

"If I must." He leaned over and planted a timid kiss on my lips and promptly fled the room.

I sighed softly, smiling to myself. At least something had gone right today.....

That is the VERY long awaited chapter. REVIEW!


	9. Chapter 9: Time Streamer

Wow. Don't all rush to review at once people! Now for the two and only reviews responses on the previous chapter: 

Grizzy: hugs her furiously Thank you so much for the complement! is starved for appreciation with other pplz  
Spike9: Kain suspects some...knows some.....and you are indeed correct!

**Chapter 9**

**Time Streamer**

_I was being chased. I had no idea why I was being hunted, I simply knew that if I was caught, I was dead. A figure bolted throught the underbrush with me, but all I could discern of it was that it was in just as much trouble as I was. This figure was my only ally as I ran. The forest ended abrubtly. We approached a cliff at breakneck speed. I dug my feet into the ground, leaving three gashes in the green earth as I pulled myself to a stop. I straightened and turned to look at my fellow fugitive._

I was woken rudely before I could see who the figure running beside me was. As my eyes snapped open, they met Harthos's acid green ones. A sense that my dream was more than that washed over me as Harthos looked at me akwardly.

"I'm sorry," He said at last.

"For what?" I asked, sitting up and immediatly regretting doing so.

"Last night...." Harthos was blatantly avoiding my eyes.

"Eh?"

"The..." I wasn't going to let him off easily, even thought he really had nothing to apologize for. The look on his face as he squirmed, avoiding the next word he had to say was truely priceless. "....Kiss...." His voice cracked on the word and I had to fiercely resist laughing in his face. I lay back down to try to quell the drumming that my brain was painfully treating me to and sighed.

"You have nothing to apologize for except that it was rather juvenile the way you went about it." I smiled at him. Harthos looked as if a two ton weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I looked over to the boarded up window and saw through the cracks that it was almost moonrise. My stomach was painfully empty. Vampiric blood is good for a quick pick-me-up, but useless when it comes to sticking around as long as human blood. I had met cannibalistic vampires who thrived but needed to feed every few hours to keep the hunger pangs at bay. It seemed more trouble than it was worth.

I hauled myself out of bed and put on my sword belt (which Harthos had apparently removed after I had crashed) ((AN: nothing happened you perverts!)) and my clan tabard.

"I'm going hunting." I looked at Harthos pointedly, making it grieviously clear that he was welcome to tag along if he wished. I snatched up a dress I had nicked at some point from a clothesline and walked out of the room. I walked into the forest, heading for the village I had hunted at a few nights before. I had taken a liking to Skyfire....

About halfway there, I was startled from my thoughts when I heard a twig snap somewhere to my left. My black blade was almost instantly in my grip as I turned toward the sound.

"Show yourself!" I roared. I growled deep in my throat as the one who had sent me here stepped into view. The Time Streamer. Moebius.

"What's wrong Nya? Are you so unhappy with where I have sent you? The knowledge I have given you?" He asked, baiting me to strike.

"You have given me nothing." I was on the verge of breaking his spindly little neck.

"That is where you are wrong. I have given you alone the power which even Kain could not handle. Those swords you wield. Why do you think I sent you to this era? Because you could erase your existence? Not the Raven you foolish child. You have the match to the one you hold in your hand right now. Luna and Solaris. The Twin Dragons. The only other swords still in existance, with the exception of the Soul Reaver, connected to the Ancients."

"Get to the point old man. Your riddles are wearing on my patience..." I took a step toward him, sword arm aching to strike.

"Those blades were forged for you, Child of the Savoir. Those swords have given you the same power I have and more. You can move through time at will once you can control them. Among other things.... As you suspected, yes, you are the child the prophecy speaks of. You alone in the entire history of Nosgoth have the power of true free will. Not even your father could achieve that."

"But if they can-" I never got to ask. Moebuis vanished.

"Nya! Wait up!" I cursed Harthos under my breath. He held a pair of boots, trousers, and a tunic under his arm, having taken a hint as to where I was headed. I kept walking, allowing him to catch up. We reached the set of bushes I had hidden behind before. I threw the dress on after removing my swords. I touched the hilts of Luna and Solaris and sighed. Moebius's visit had left me with more questions than answers....

There. Next chap. Now you had better review! GAARG! I heart Quickedit! hugs  
Your ever so sweet author cough not cough


	10. Shaddie's First Flame

**earthworm jim 2004-12-30 10 Anonymous nobody wants to review because your story sucks ass.**

Oh looky guys! I've gotten my first honest-to-goodness flame!

However, Jimmy-boy raises a good point. The series could use some revision considering I wrote Lifeblood and the beginning chapters of Paradox damn near a year ago.

But, the way our friend Earthworm Jim went about his critsism is dead wrong.  
Ever heard the saying we all had drilled forcibly into our skulls as Disney watching children? "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all"  
Now, JImmy-boy, how can we improve this sorry-ass flame?  
How about saying WHY the story sucks supposed ass? At least put something constructive instead of wasting my time, email space, and site bandwidth with your PMS garbage.

And another thing.  
While I won't report anything to the site because I believe almost to a fault in the first amendment, **AT LEAST HAVE THE BALLS TO NOT POST ANONYMOUSLY!  
**If I'm gonna get chewed out by a jerk, I at least wanna know who the jerk is.

However, our friend has pointed out another thing.  
_Dionarra, Psychovirus83, SeedyDeedee,_and several other reviewers that were frequently seen in Lifeblood (which, in my opinion nearly 2 years later did in fact suck ass) are nowhere to be found. I miss you guys (and want the offered fanart tear).

So, while I disagree with our friend _earthworm jim_, he raises a few issues I 've been wondering about myself.

**And so, I have this to say to him**:  
_**Go and kindly drill a hole in your skull.**_

Yours always,

Shadowrayne

(Who turns 15 on the 26th of January and is expecting at least 1 email wishing her happy birthday)


	11. Chapter 10: Prelude to Madness

I'd just like to say thank you all so much for all of the feedback on the last chapter, especially the new guy. The advice was much appreciated.  
I'm out of uber-bitch mode, so thanks. You all have restored my faith that people are actually interested and that this isn't just a wasted effort. 

I think I'm gonna wrap this up within the next few chapters. Thus I will need more response if I'm to post the third installment, which I am proud to say is set in the present world. Which may not make sense to those who haven't read the manuscript, but it is explained and set about 10,000 years after Nya's present as of Chapter one of Paradox... I really should post a timeline next, eh?  
Also, as it's been a while, the names may be a bit jumbled, but still discernable. I'm definitely gonna repost this chapter later. And another thing, I noticed that I keep switching the position of Kyria's scar. It's supposed to be over her LEFT eye, so disregard the right... Uh...yeah.  
There may be some minor fluff in this chapter, yknow, have to fill in the Romance portion...

**Chapter 10**

**Prelude to Madness**

**_Chronicle of Light_**

_Luna and Solaris. The Twin Dragons. Night and Day, Moon and Sun, Good and Evil. And me. The conduit of all these powers that I cannot control nor even begin to comprehend. Fate has dealt me a winning hand. A Royal Flush. But I don't know how to play the game. I've been torn open and picked apart my whole life, by my mother, humans, other vampires, all to prepare me for the past. A past I don't even exist in yet._

_Luna, Solaris, and the Soul Reaver are the axies on which this world turns. The decay caused by Kain's refusal can be reversed with my swords. No. Not mine. They own me. At least until I can control them. Use them. I realise now that the only thing that can salvage this plane of existance lay in the scabbards at my waist. I see now that I have been manipulated from the beginning, forced to sqaunder my metaphorical hand because no one will explain the rules of the game, though everyone cheats._

_Solaris was the Birth, The Reaver was the Catalyst of Destruction, and Luna's story has yet to be sung. But unless I can warp it to my will, I fear it will be the blade of Death._

_But I can't do it alone._

Harthos and I entered the village, two seemingly harmless travelers. I was deeply troubled by the words that had spilled from Moebius's lips. I could tell that he didn't even know the extent of the power of which he spoke. And I had the sinking feeling that no one else on this wretched world knew either.

That was the one time my instincts failed me. As we slunk through an alley, stalking an old woman, who looked old, blind, and possibly deaf, I was astounded when she turned to face us and looked straight at me.

My eyes locked with her washed out ones and I saw eternity. Unknowingly, I stepped toward her, close enough to see the purple veins in her face, which was covered partially by long hair that matched her eyes. I was competely enraptured in that void. The infinity I had slipped into to get here was indeed finite. Nothing else was important in the haze of those few precious seconds where I truly _saw._

And I was torn out of it by Harthos. He grabbed my shoulder and hissed.

"Sarafan wench!" He threw the woman across the alley as I shook my head, coming down from my euphoria. Harthos went in for the kill. Finally snapping to my senses, I dove at her first, saving her from the enraged male. I looked at her once and knew that Harthos had acheived his end. She was dying. Those milky eyes, so like Luna's were for the first time, unseeing.

Harthos, puzzled by my behavior, rested a hand on my shoulder. I ignored this small gesture of compassion for me and hung my head, blood seeping silently from my tear ducts. I couldn't help but feel as if I had missed something vital. The old crone was somehow connected to all of this.

I jumped as I felt the woman grab my hands and breathe my name.

_"Nya...Kill him..."_

She placed my hands upon the sword hilts and forced me to look into her eyes once more. The surge from the Reaver was nothing compared to this. I saw Her. She had been the Seer, one of the people to help Kain on his way to power. She had misread his future, only to see it clearly as he brought the world to it's knees. However, she saw her last chance in me. She wanted the ruler of Nosgoth dead. By my hand. Seeing her death and me there she had hid among the humans, praying I would oblige her in correcting her fatal error.

All this took but a second as she exhaled for the last time, chilled hands still over mine. As I came to my senses, my vision proved to be black and white. Splashes of red showed on myself and Harthos. The Seer's coloring was fading as the heat fled her corpse. Looking at Harthos's face, I was puzzled by his expression.

"Harthos?" I was startled by my own voice. My hearing seemed to have become hypersensitive as I noticed the rest of my senses go into overdrive as well.

"Nya...?" He whispered, reaching out to touch my face the way a blind man would, as if to make sure I was real.

"Harthos, what's wrong?"

"Nya-" He was cut off as a group of Sarafan Warriors snuck up on us and cast us both into unconciousness.

I woke up bound and gagged, chained to a wall in what appeared to be a dungeon. All around me, figures moaned in agony, twisted by depraved warrior-priests into grotesque forms. A few skeletons lingered on the floor, having only escaped their chains when their flesh left them. Looking closer at the bones, I noticed the elongated canine teeth. These were vampires. In order to slip into the state the poor figures around me were in took years, decades, and to get to a skeletal state, centuries.

The dungeon was very narrow, Harthos's face, chained on the opposite wall, just inches from my own. Obviously this was just a containment area. Very clever planning on the Sarafan's part. If anyone escaped, the other vampires would see the movement and tear into it, not caring if it was alive or dead, just fulfilling the hunger shredding their minds. If one managed to get past its peers, the Sarafan guards would just shoot it with magic or a crossbow.

Harthos was knocked out in front of me, hair shadowing his features, body limp. I smacked my head backwards into the stone wall in frustration, only adding to my problems when my skull started throbbing. My growl of pain redoubled the chorus of the condemned around us. The guard showed up after about five minutes of their screams, putting a crossbow bolt into the vampire right next to me. He howled in torment one last time before slipping into Final Death.

It was then that Harthos stirred, groaning slightly as he came to. Surveying our location, his alabaster flesh lost what little color it had to begin with.

"Nya, where are we?" He whispered, voice trembling slightly. My body betrayed my fear as I began trembling, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

"I think we're in the Sarafan keep..." I replied, nodding to the insignia carved onto the bolt in the corpse next me. Harthos swore quietly, leaning back. I lowered myself into a sitting position, arms remaining bent at the elbow above me, restricted by my chains. "We're going to die here, aren't we?" I breathed.

"No..." Harthos murmured, voice betraying his doubt. He joined me on the floor, defeated. We remained that way for a few hours before I broke down, dissolving into tears. I was enraged by all of it. Being used and twisted for everyone's means but my own. Moebius for some reason not yet known, Kain for yet another X factor, and now the Sarafan for some depraved sadistic purpose. And no one knew my story. I was tired of keeping it all in, on the verge of madness. I was being shredded from within by my own thoughts and feelings. My mind was a maelstrom. There was no release. So many emotions pulling me in so many different directions. I only had one person I could confide in, one who obviously saw me as the kindred soul I found in him.

So when he asked what was wrong, I told him, holding nothing back. I was afraid to look at him afterward, fearing his reaction, assuming the emotion I found in those eyes would be rejection. We sat in silence for a few minutes, my body still wracked with sobs. He murmured my name once, a tone in it forcing me to look up at him. Not for the first time when it came to Harthos was I wrong. My tears slowed when I saw the compassion written so plainly in his face. When we had first met, I had assumed him just another conflict in my life, there only to betray me if I ever relied on him. Upon finding myself wrong then, I promised myself not to make that mistake again, only to break my vow. He leaned forward and nuzzled my cheek. That one gesture of kindness, the first one I'd recieved in centuries ((A/N: Nya's about half a millenium old, or 500 years. Not sure if I'd mentioned that in the beginning...)), was enough to shred the last of my self control and I broke down again, burying my face into Harthos's chest. He comforted me as best he could in the uncomfortable position we were in until I quieted.

Pulling away, leaned back into the wall.

"I'm sorry." I said in a low voice. Harthos looked dumbfounded.

"Why?"

"For that..." My head snapped back up as I heard him chuckle darkly. "And just what is so funny!" I demanded, thouroughly annoyed with him.

"The fact that you feel the need to apologize. I've been waiting for that explaination since I found out that you were clanless. "

"You should have just asked..."

Harthos eyed me incredulously. "Would you have told me if I had?" He asked, anticipating my answer as I realized that I wouldn't have told him. "That's what I thought."

"Well if you'd been a bit more open with me..." I trailed off.

"I told you my story. There wasn't much to it, if you recall."

"You are infuriating."

"You really should listen to yourself sometimes, Nya. A lot of what you think about me can be said about yourself as well."

"No one asked you."

"And when has that ever stopped me? Did you ask for help on the battlefield? Did you ask for me to kiss you? Did you ask for my blood? Did you ask for my support when Kain summoned you? You've never had to ask. I've just anticipated. And gotten nothing in return. Sometimes I think that if I died for you, you wouldn't give a damn!" Harthos's voice was steadily rising until he was shouting the last few words in my face.

I was shocked by this outburst to say the least. "You really think that?" I asked in a small voice.

"Sometimes..." I could tell that Harthos regretted some of his outburst.

"Kiss me."

Harthos looked up, flustered. "Don't toy with me, Nya..." he warned.

"I'm not. I'm asking." And so he did. The kiss was everything the body promised: exotic, gentle, agile, and so many other suble undertones I was taken in by it. Breaking from it, I looked at him, panting. "Much better."

Harthos grinned, remembering the first time he kissed me as I settled down to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

HA! How's THAT for a comeback! That is the first chapter of this I've been happy with... Now REVIEW!  
Shadowrayne


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